The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC;

Māori Māori or Maori can refer to: Relating to the Māori people * Māori people of New Zealand, or members of that group * Māori language, the language of the Māori people of New Zealand * Māori culture * Cook Islanders, the Māori people of the Co ...

: ''Te Amorangi Mātauranga Matua'') is a New Zealand

Crown entity A Crown entity (from the Commonwealth term ''The Crown, Crown'') is an organisation that forms part of New Zealand's public sector organisations in New Zealand, state sector established under the Crown Entities Act 2004, a unique umbrella governa ...

which oversees the tertiary education sector in New Zealand including universities, polytechnics and vocational apprenticeship programmes. It was established in 2003.

Mandates and functions

The Tertiary Education Commission has oversight over tertiary education providers including universities, polytechnics and vocational institutions. They implement the Government's tertiary education policies and are governed by the Education Act 1989. The

Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment The Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment ( MBIE; ) is the public service department of New Zealand charged with "delivering policy, services, advice and regulation" which contribute to New Zealand's economic productivity and business ...

(MBIE) also has monitoring oversight over the TEC.

Leadership and structure

The TEC is governed by a Board of Commissioners and led by an executive team. As of 2025, its chief executive was Tim Fowler while its chairperson was Jenn Bestwick. TEC consists of five directorates: the Information Directorate, Corporate and Finance Directorate, Deliveries Directorate, the Careers and Investment Design Directorate, and the Ōritetanga Learner Success Directorate. The Ōritetanga Learner Success Directorate focuses on the

and

Pasifika Pasifika may refer to: *Pacific Islander people, indigenous peoples of the Pacific Islands **Pasifika New Zealanders, Pacific peoples living in New Zealand *Pacific Islands, including Melanesia, Micronesia and Polynesia *The Pasifika Festival, an a ...

communities, and addressing economic and social deprivation. The TEC comes under the portfolios of the

Minister of Education An education minister (sometimes minister of education) is a position in the governments of some countries responsible for dealing with educational matters. Where known, the government department, ministry, or agency that develops policy and deli ...

Erica Stanford Erica Louise Stanford (née Poppelbaum; born 1978) is a New Zealand politician and Member of Parliament in the House of Representatives for the National Party. She currently serves as the 49th Minister of Education and the 60th Minister of Im ...

and the Minister for Vocational Education

Penny Simmonds Penelope Elsie Simmonds (born September 1959) is a New Zealand politician, Member of Parliament and a Minister in the House of Representatives for the National Party. She previously served as the chief executive of the Southern Institute of ...

History

Fifth Labour Government, 2003–2008

The Tertiary Education was launched on 13 February 2003 as part of the

Fifth Labour Government The Fifth Labour Government of New Zealand was the government of New Zealand from 10 December 1999 to 19 November 2008. Labour Party leader Helen Clark negotiated a coalition with Jim Anderton, leader of the Alliance Party. Overview The pre ...

's new Tertiary Education Strategy. The TEC was launched as a

that was tasked with working with tertiary education providers to implement the Government's tertiary education policies and goals. In April 2004 the Minister in charge of the TEC,

Steve Maharey Steven Maharey (born 3 February 1953) is a New Zealand academic and former politician of the Labour Party. Elected to Parliament for the first time in 1990, he was Minister of Social Development and Employment from 1999 to 2005 and Minister ...

, appointed deputy chairperson Kaye Turner as Acting Chairperson and board member Shona Butterfield as Acting Deputy Chair following the departure of Chairperson Andrew West and board member Ian Smith, who left to assume new positions at

AgResearch AgResearch Ltd (formerly known as New Zealand Pastoral Agriculture Research Institute Limited) is one of New Zealand's largest Crown Research Institutes with over 700 staff and revenue of NZ$160.7 million in the year to June 2014. The New Zea ...

and the

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation The Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) is a statutory body of the Australian Government that is responsible for nuclear research and the production of radioisotopes for nuclear medicine. It was established in Apr ...

. In December 2007, Tertiary Education Minister

Pete Hodgson Peter Colin Hodgson (born 13 June 1950) is a former New Zealand politician of the Labour Party and Member of Parliament for Dunedin North from 1990 to 2011. Early life Hodgson was born in Whangārei, and received a Bachelor's degree in veteri ...

appointed Robin Hapi as a new commissioner in the TEC's board.

Fifth National Government, 2008–2017

On 1 July 2017, the TEC assumed the staff and functions of Careers New Zealand.

Sixth Labour Government, 2017–2023

In December 2019, Education Minister

Chris Hipkins Christopher John Hipkins (born 5 September 1978) is a New Zealand politician who has served as leader of the New Zealand Labour Party since January 2023 and leader of the Opposition (New Zealand), leader of the Opposition since November 2023. H ...

appointed Māori education specialist Dr Wayne Ngata and

Business NZ Business New Zealand Inc. (operating as BusinessNZ) is New Zealand's largest business- advocacy body. It is headquartered in Wellington. Kirk Hope has served as the chief executive since 2016. History The history of BusinessNZ dates back more ...

head Kirk Hope to TEC's board. Dr Alastair MacCormick's appointment was also extended for another term.

Sixth National Government, 2023–present

Between May and April 2024, the TEC cut 28 jobs as part of a wave of public sector job cuts initiated by the Sixth National Government to reduce government spending by 6 percent (roughly NZ$25 million) over the next four years. The

Public Service Association The Public Service Association (), or PSA, is a democratic trade union with over workers in the New Zealand public sector. The stated aims of the PSA are to provide support for public and not-for-profit community services, support worker voic ...

criticised the TEC's job cuts for disproportionately affecting female employees. On 12 March 2025, Vocational Education Minister

and Minister of Universities

Shane Reti Shane Raymond Reti (born 5 June 1963) is a New Zealand politician and a member of the New Zealand House of Representatives, and a Cabinet Minister with the roles of Minister for Pacific Peoples, Minister of Science, Innovation, and Technology, ...

appointed Robin Hapi

CNZM The New Zealand Order of Merit () is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have re ...

and Sharon McGuire as TEC board members until 31 October 2027. In late May 2025,

Alan Bollard Alan Esmond Bollard (born 5 June 1951) is a New Zealand economist and retired senior public servant. He was Secretary to the Treasury from 1998 to 2002, Governor of the Reserve Bank from 2002 to 2012, and executive director of the Asia Pacifi ...

CNZM and Hapi were appointed as Chair and Deputy Chair of the TEC's board. In early June 2025, the TEC confirmed it would remove extra funding for Māori and Pasifika enrolments in vocational courses and reduce funding for workplace training; which amounted to eight percent of its budget. The TEC will continue funding for disabled students and those with low prior educational achievement.

References

External links

* {{NZ Crown entities/Crown agents 2003 establishments in New Zealand New Zealand Crown agents Higher education in New Zealand